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Camp for free with Tents For Troops

Participating resorts say “Thank You” to active-duty military and their families

First family to enjoy the brand new 2019 KZ Sportsman. Photo courtesy Tents for Troops

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Feeling the vacation budget is pinched? Trying to combine your PCS with a fun family road trip? Or are you just looking to get away? Tents for Troops is a nonprofit organization offering complimentary stays at over 300 participating camp and RV resorts nationwide for active-duty military and their families. 

The program is open to any rank, and requires an advance reservation for a minimum of two nights and up to one week. Tent sites are available free of charge at campgrounds across the country, some with amenities including fire pits, pools, and general stores. The program just recently added fully equipped trailers they rent to active-duty as well (a $100 deposit, with $65 refunded if everything is left as you found it), at participating locations. Stay at Kamp Klamath in the Redwood Forest, Yosemite Pines in the Yosemite National Forest, or Diamond Ranch Resort on Alaska's Central Kenai Peninsula. Find all of the parks online at tentsfortroops.org

Tents for Troops was founded by Toutle RV Resort developer Charlie Curry 10 years ago. He began by renting out a cabin on his resort in Washington state to active-duty troops, but soon after felt the need to do more. 

"I had managed a band in Australia who wrote a song called "Children of America," their tribute to American forces. It was amazing. I heard it ... and it planted a seed, and I kept thinking, ‘I'd like to do something for our troops.' It took two years to get the first 20 parks. It was extremely difficult. Then the third year we got another 20 parks. We're over 300 now, maybe 400. I try not to count because I don't want to get lazy," Curry said.

The program gained even more momentum a few years ago when Curry decided to expand to offering trailers as well. "I decided the troops would like an RV vacation, but it's expensive. We went to four to five trade shows with zero luck, and then Airstream really got it moving," he said.

He met Ted Davis, owner of Airstream Adventures Northwest with 5 stores in WA,OR, ID and California  Davis signed up to donate $10 for every trailer sold, as well as donating three classic Airstreams. These donations have provided the lions share of the operating capital over the past three years. From there, Davis went even farther in setting up a meeting with Bob Wheeler, CEO of Airstream, and Bob Martin, President and CEO of THOR Industries.

"I could tell Bob Martin and Bob Wheeler's passion was there and knew it was going to go good. Airstream gave $15,000 and three vintage trailers, and Thor donated nine trailers. The money went to insurance and shipping, and $5,000 went towards renovating and restoring the three trailers, which will soon be available to rent," Curry said of the meeting. 

Even though things are going well, there are still challenges (spreading the word is the biggest), and Curry is still setting high expectations and goals. 

"I've always wanted to have 2,500 parks, and I think that's possible," Curry predicted. "But now I want to have 1,000 of these trailers, too. If you said only 10 percent of military go camping, which I know (the number) is way higher than that, that would put it at around 275,000 people camping, and so if everybody wanted to spend a one-week vacation in a trailer ... several thousand trailers would be needed.  I just grabbed for 1,000 because I thought that was a doable number. Who knows if that will ever happen, but I know I will keep trying." 

For reservations and more information, visit: tentsfortroops.org.

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